1. Field of the Invention
This invention provides a means for centrifugally separating residual oil or other liquid contamination from shredded or granulated containers used to package the oil or other liquid. In principle, chips or shreds from a granulator or shredder are fed into the receiving hopper of a centrifugal device which separates the oil (or other liquid) from the container material. The separated liquid is subsequently reclaimed, while the chipped or shredded container material is further processed toward a finished plastic substance.
With an understanding of the present need to protect both our natural environment and to optimize the use of natural resources, the importance of this apparatus should be readily apparent. In a first case, a mechanical separation of the residual liquid (most notably, motor oil) from its chipped or shredded container assures less pollutants introduced into the waste stream from cleaning operations in the form of an emulsion of water, detergents, and the specific material in the container. In a second case, a mechanical separation assures a greater return of product into its highest value usage with the least energy expended; that is, motor oil may be recovered in the form of pure motor oil rather than as an emulsion which requires expensive reprocessing for commercial reuse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The technology of centrifugally separating residual liquid which was packaged within a container from the material proper of said container subsequent to shredding or comminution of the container has not heretofore been addressed in any patent other than those developed by this inventor. (That is to say, CENTRIFUGE APPARATUS FOR RESIDUAL LIQUID WASTE REMOVAL FROM RECYCLABLE CONTAINER MATERIAL (Ser. No. 07/677,307), now U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,424 CONTINUOUS CENTRIFUGE APPARATUS FOR RESIDUAL LIQUID WASTE REMOVAL FROM RECYCLABLE CONTAINER MATERIAL (Ser. No. 07/696,765), METHOD OF CONTINUOUS CENTRIFUGAL REMOVAL OF RESIDUAL LIQUID WASTE FROM RECYCLABLE CONTAINER MATERIAL (Ser. No. 07/701,778), now U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,441 METHOD OF BATCH CENTRIFUGAL REMOVAL OF RESIDUAL LIQUID WASTE FROM RECYCLABLE CONTAINER MATERIAL (Ser. No. 07/703,007), and, CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR RECLAIMING PLASTIC SCRAP (Ser. No. 07/781,085).) This is particularly true for plastic containers in the form of blow molded bottles which have contained motor oils or similar non-water soluble liquids.
A new body of technology is growing for the purpose of reclaiming such plastic and other container materials. In most cases, however, the technology has used mechanical agitation in conjunction with washing and soaking baths to remove the contaminant from the chipped or shredded container.
Centrifugal separation of a residual liquid contaminant of a container, and the shredded material proper from the container, is a novel innovation as suggested in this series of inventions.
Numerous mechanical separation devices have been devised which use centrifugal action. Among them, are those which centrifugally separate cutting fluids and oils from metal chips, borings, and the like as encountered in machine shop operations. In this regard, the patents of Dudley et all (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,137,176 and 4,253,960), Areaux et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,096), Weininger et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,014), Rousselet (U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,135), Steimel (U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,318), and Ziherl (U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,943) deserve attention. (Note that the two patents of Dudley and the patent of Areaux are refinements of the same practice.) Prior art by Welch (U.S. Pat. No. 636,016) for the removal of liquid from garbage also merits attention. It can be shown, however, that each of these representations of the prior art are substantially different from both the function and the intended use of the present invention.